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Episode 124: A World Without Easily Injured Pitchers/Hitter BABIP, and Whether Mike Trout Was Lucky/What We Think About Booing
Date January 23, 2013 Summary Ben and Sam answer listener emails about pitcher injuries and pitching prospects, hitter BABIPs (specifically Mike Trout’s), and whether they boo baseball players. Topics * Pitcher prospects & injuries * Mike Trout & BABIP * Booing baseball players Intro Soda can opening/pouring sound clip Banter Sam does not think he and Ben will ever record a podcast episode together. They are both impressed at the number and quality of emails. Email Questions * Matt: " Does the notion of TINSTAAPP (there is no such thing as a pitching prospect) have anything to do with pitching prospects or does it simply point to the unpredictability of pitchers? In other words, are pitching prospects more unreliable relative to big league pitchers than hitting prospects are to big league hitters? Sounds convoluted, but I think this is a coherent question, maybe." * Eric: "How would personnel evaluations be different if pitchers' injury risk was equal to that of hitters? Would Zack Greinke have gotten more than six years? Would TINSTAAPP ever have been popularized? Would I even know who Dr. James Andrews is?" * Paul: "Sam & Ben, I find BABIP to be a grossly overused statistical tool in comparing players to each other. My logic comes from the obvious fact that typically the players with the highest BABIP are the best hitters. That's obviously the case because the best hitters hit the ball harder and would therefore be more likely to get hits when they hit the ball, and anybody who played baseball at almost any level would readily acknowledge that. Therefore, BABIP should be exclusively used to compare players to themselves from year to year. I am just so tired of hearing that Mike Trout was lucky this year (BABIP of .383), based on that stat when anyone who watched him play would know he hits lasers all over the field and can also fly. Am I off base here with my logic? Looking forward to hearing your response." * James (Fayetteville, AR): "Now that you are both members of the BBWAA, you are no doubt immune to the knee-jerk reaction that causes an average fan to boo a player. I too, a BP subscriber and self-titled enlightened fan thought I was above doing it. As a Rangers fan, when Josh Hamilton signed with the rival Angels I was able to temper my friends with talk of 'these are professionals who should seek out the most money for their services just like anyone else' and other arguments of listening to the rational baseball talk of you and Sam. However after hearing that Hamilton didn't give John Daniels a chance to match the offers they discussed, my ill will for Hamilton peaked. Of course Hamilton didn't have to wait to see if Daniels would match the offer (which he almost certainly wouldn't have) and of course I should relish the home runs instead of the two-strike whiffs he had as a Ranger, and of course he can sign with whatever team he likes, even if it was his previous team's rival. None of these are appropriate reasons to boo a player, and yet when Hamilton comes to Arlington I might do just that. Which brings me to my point, what do you think about fans booing players? Considering that rivalries are vital to the sports' prosperity, is booing a necessary side effect of a popular sport, or can a more tolerant sport be equally as prosperous. And the final, perhaps most interesting question, when was the last time you booed a player? Reach back to childhood if you must, and why?" Notes * Recent research that Sam did found that pitching prospects are panning out more than in the past. * Successful pitchers have to adjust to a much greater degree as they age than successful hitters. * Sam disagrees with Paul's assertion that the best hitters have the highest BABIPs. * Ted Williams and Jayson Werth have the same career BABIP. * Ben, on booing or cheering at games: "...making noise is not part of my demeanor, so I tend to sit quietly at baseball games." * This episode featured the first of many emails from listener Eric Hartman. Links * Effectively Wild Episode 124: A World Without Easily Injured Pitchers/Hitter BABIP, and Whether Mike Trout Was Lucky/What We Think About Booing Category:Email Episodes Category:Episodes